General Rules:
- Exclamation points are most commonly used with emphatic expressions, but they are also sometimes part of a direct quotation.
- Use exclamation points sparingly.
- Never use a comma or period after an exclamation mark.
Emphatic Expressions
Rule: Use exclamation points to show very strong emotions, degrees of surprise or levels of incredulity.
Placement With Quotation Marks
Rule: Place the exclamation point inside the quotation mark if it’s part of a quotation and outside the quotation mark if it’s not part of a quotation.
- Example: “Stop!” the police yelled at the fleeing suspect.
- Example: I fell asleep reading Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”!
Avoiding Overuse
Rule: Use a comma after mild interjections, and use periods after mildly exclamatory sentences.